Sony patents way to detect piracy — possibly on PS4

Sony plans to use load times to determine whether software has been pirated.

The patent is called "Benchmark Measurement for Legitimate Duplication Validation," according to NeoGAF and DarkZero (via Eurogamer) and was originally filed in August 2011 but only recently published. The technology analyzes the questionable software (not limited to physical media) against a benchmark to determine its validity.

While the patent hasn't been officially confirmed for PlayStation 4, the information relating to it suggests that it will take effect on Sony's newly revealed next-gen console.

We also recently learned that Sony won't be blocking used games as previously feared.